Person-to-person transmission through the faecal-oral route can also occur, especially when diarrhoea is present. Zoonotic transmission from contact with infected animals (e.g. live poultry or reptiles) has been reported as well.

Incubation period: Typically, 12 to 36 hours; range is 6 to 72 hours.

Infectious period: Throughout the course of infection and carriage. Patients can have asymptomatic viral shedding of the organism in stools for several weeks.

Clinical features

Salmonellosis presents with symptoms that include fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. While most cases of salmonellosis are mild, severity depends on host factors and the serotype.

Complications include dehydration, and some patients may develop invasive infections. At-risk individuals are the young, elderly and immunocompromised patients.

Risk factors

Risk factors include:

Consumption of inadequately cooked food or food prepared by infected food handler.

Diagnosis

Culture (e.g., stool, urine, blood) remains the gold standard for diagnosis.

Treatment and management

For uncomplicated gastroenteritis, no treatment is required except ensuring adequate hydration.

Antibiotic treatment can be considered in individuals at risk of invasive disease and in those with severe disease.

Precaution, prevention, and control

Standard and contact precautions (if active diarrhoea) apply in the healthcare setting. There is no available vaccine.

Preventive measures include avoiding food and drinks at high risk of contamination, good hand hygiene and proper food handling practices.

Notification

Who should notify:

Laboratories

When to notify:

On laboratory confirmation

How to notify:

Please refer to the Infectious Disease Notification for more information.

Notification timeline:

As soon as possible. No later than 72 hours from the time of laboratory confirmation.

Resources

Please refer to the Weekly Infectious Diseases Bulletin for the number of confirmed salmonellosis cases in Singapore.